


Sins of Our Past

by Tigertarkla45



Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Alien Sex, Amputation, F/M, Telepathy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-15
Updated: 2020-02-15
Packaged: 2021-02-28 07:14:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22729735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tigertarkla45/pseuds/Tigertarkla45
Summary: Do I write anything without an edgy title... no. Anyways, here's a rare Mass Effect fic that doesn't feature Kaiden Alenko. This one is about Javik and Female Shepard so... enjoy.
Relationships: Javik/Female Shepard (Mass Effect)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 56





	1. Chapter 1

It would be a bit of an understatement to say that Javik unsettled her. Shepard was rarely unsettled by anyone or anything. She regularly faced down the council, had confronted a reaper face to face, had seen all manner of horrific things, but this old throwback to a bygone era unsettled her. 

Shepard clenches her jaw and enters the cargo hold where Javik has made himself at home. It used to be Grunt’s space but Grunt was off doing things for clan Uradot now. She missed him. She supposed that she could probably forgo visiting Javik, he didn’t seem to like her all that much, but she didn’t want him to feel like she was treating him differently from the rest of the crew. And the rest of the crew got daily face-to-face meetings. 

Javik goes on alert the second he can feel Commander Shepard's presence on the other side of the door. He can feel her nervousness, the undercurrent of unease she carries around him. He supposes it makes sense, he did almost strangle her in his confusion when he woke up. 

He had thought that when he woke, the nightmare would be over, the reapers would be destroyed and his people triumphant. Instead he had awoken to a renewed nightmare, his people gone, a new cycle fighting the same fight. Still, there was brightness in this new world for him, and it all centered around the commander. Perhaps that is why her presence always brought on a quiver of unease within him, unease and something else he refused to name. 

The door slides open. 

“Good evening, Javik.” Shepard infuses her voice with a brightness she doesn't feel.

“Is it?” Javik answers with a scowl. 

Shepard tries not to let her optimism dim in the face of Javik’s unwavering grimness. 

“Well, we are still standing, still fighting…”

“Marching towards our inevitable end.”

Shepard purses her lips together, trying to stop a rebuke from passing them.

“Yes, well, do you need anything, you are comfortable here?”

Javik nods. “It is adequate.”

Shepard gives a jerky nod in return. “Has Liara come to talk to you. I hope you can understand her curiosity, she has spent a lifetime studying the protheans. It is not every day that an archaeologist can meet the subject of their study.”

“We have spoken.” he pauses “I can’t help but feel like l am a disappointment to her.”

Shepard tilts her head and Javik is temporarily mesmerized by they way light bounces through her springy hair. The gold and copper glints shining through the otherwise dark brown hair. 

“I think you've been less of a disappointment and more of a reality check. We have a saying back on earth ‘never meet your heroes’ because they often turn out more human than the gods we've made them out to be in our head.”

“Hmmm, yes.” 

He pauses again and Shepard let's her thoughts wander to Liara. 

“The two of you are friends?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Really? Your feelings about her are conflicted. On one hand you seem to carry a great deal of affection for her, but there is also anger towards her.”

Shepard crosses her arms over her chest. 

“I wish you wouldn't do that. It’s disturbing.”

Javik blinks, waiting for her to respond further. She often has in their previous encounters. She is a study in contradictions. Hard yet soft, unyielding yet forgiving. Despite her unease with him she offers up unwavering honesty. 

“I died, a couple of years ago, the collectors hit my ship, I was the last one off, I didn’t make it. Cerberus, they brought me back, I ended up having to work with them. I didn’t have much choice in the matter. The reason that Cerberus was able to find my body is because of Liara. I understand why she did it, but sometimes I think it would’ve been best to stay dead.”

Javik nods. “Death is preferable to this waking nightmare.” 

She tilts her head again. “I guess you understand better than most”

She gazes at him and he notices the unease is gone from her body, replaced with something else, acceptance perhaps. Before he can decipher the shift though she drops her gaze and the thread of nervousness returns.

“We’ll be stopping by the citadel for a few hours tomorrow, be sure to get out and see it.”

Javik grunts a reply and Shepard turns to leave. 

“Goodnight, Javik"

The door slides closed behind her but she leaves such a strong impression in her wake that he doesn't feel like she has truly left for many hours. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Javik and Shepard hook up at the Citadel party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I take some pretty big liberties with the nature of Javik's telepathy or whatever. There's sex in this chapter.

Javik has to admit that Shepard knows how to throw a good party. He catches a glimpse of her out of one eye and resists the urge to turn his head and track her around the room. He’s been having a hard time with that lately, resisting watching her. Ever since the edge of unease brought on by his presence had lifted from her. It was replaced by something dizzying, a leap of happiness when she saw him. He tried not to read too much into it because she had similar leaps when she saw Garrus or Grunt or even Wrex. Those little leaps were accompanied by something else though, a sense of familial bond. With him though, whatever bond she attributed to him, it was not familial. It wasn't even the friendly affection she showed Liara, Tali and Jack, or the professional concern she had for most everyone else who was, or had been, a member of the crew. There was trust, and something else Javik could not name, or would not name.

She has come to confide in him, to tell him stories of her past, of her fears and the legacy she carried. She had been born into this life, the life of a soldier, like he had. As far back as she could trace her family, they had been soldiers, called to a higher cause outside of themselves. The inevitability of her fate had been inescapable but she had embraced it. She loved the alliance, loved being a soldier. Still, so much rested on her shoulders, it felt like everyday she made decisions that held the fate of the galaxy in balance. And there were times she longed to be merely human and not the mythic being she had been cast as. 

Javik gives up the fight and turns to watch Shepard as she talks to Garrus and Wrex. She laughs, wavering a bit on her feet and leans towards Garrus to catch her balance. Javik can feel the glass in his hand begins to fracture and he forces himself to relax. But he can't turn away. Her hair bounces freely about her head, shimmering in the light, like the dress she wears. It’s a light pinkish gold sort of thing that skims over her figure and down to the floor. A long slit up one side reveals a generous portion of her leg when she moves and the low scoop in the back reveals her muscles and the small n7 tattoo on her left shoulder blade. Her shoulders are bare and shimmering as well. She looks like a mirage almost and Javik longs to touch her to make sure she isn't one, but that is silly. He can feel her presence like a solid thing all around him, yet it isn't enough. 

Shepard makes her way through the apartment, checking on party goers who have finally begun to wind down. Half of them are asleep, the rest will be there soon, no doubt most will be hurting in the morning. She hadn't been sure about this party when Joker had suggested it but seeing everyone have so much fun made her certain that she had made the right decision. Well almost everyone. Javik’s disapproving scowl had followed her all night long, he undoubtedly felt like this was a waste of time with the threat of annihilation looming over them. She had made an effort to get to know the prothean, and despite his constant doom and gloom, she had come to like him. To even rely on his pessimistic responses to her attempts at optimism so she could laugh them off. She considered him a friend, though their friendship was unlike any she had had before. She had told him things she would never have told anyone else, but all with the utmost trust that he would never betray those secrets to anyone else, and that he would not think less of her for having revealed them. Perhaps because he was able to determine her secrets without her telling them and had not used them to judge her abilities as a commander had something to do with it. Perhaps it was something else but she shrugged the thought away, unwilling to explore her feelings concerning Javik any further. 

The door to her bedroom, her last stop for the night, slides open and she gives a little start when she sees someone half sprawled across the bed. She crosses to the bed and peers down at the person.

“Javik?”

He moves a bit at the sound of her voice then falls still. Shepard let's out a huff of exasperation. The way he is sprawled across the bed there is no room for her and she is tired. She bends over and places a hand on his shoulder, giving him a shake. 

“Javik, wake up.” 

This time the prothean’s eyes blink open. It takes a moment, but they focus on her face. 

“Nova.” he whispers her name as he reaches up to caress the side of her face. 

Shepard’s eyes widen at his touch. He has never touched her, and with good reason. A flood of memories and emotions enters her mind, a dizzying mix of her own and his. She can barely make sense of it. It’s too much, yet she is powerless to pull away. She lets out a gasp when his other hand cups her face, draws her down so their foreheads meet. She stumbles over him, falling half over him, just catching herself before she crashes into him. The stream of memories starts to slow till they are replaying a handful of moments from the last few days till they reach now, this very moment. Foreheads touching and breath synced, touching. 

“Javik?” she whispers his name softly, questioning, prompting. 

“Nova.” his chest rumbles with her name and he brings her lips to his. 

His lips are soft against hers and she finds this revelation surprising. She supposes, in her late night musings, she has always thought everything about him would be hard. Perhaps because of his unwavering pessimism, or the way his voice sounds like hard marble, she had decided it must be that way with him all over. But it wasn't. She lowers herself down to deepen the kiss her chest coming down to rest against his. His hands move from her face one lacing through her tangle of curls and the other cupping the back of her neck. His tongue traces the seam of her lips and she opens for him, her tongue coming out to tangle with his. She can feel the rumble of satisfaction building in his chest. 

Beyond that though, she can feel his satisfaction. As if it were her own, she can feel his desire, his wants. She can see where he wanted this kiss to go. 

So that was why she isn't surprised when he shifts to flip her onto her back, trapping her beneath him. She tilts her head up as he trails her lips down her chin to her neck. His fangs scrape gently across her skin and Nova shivers as desire races up her spine. Her hands come up, trailing down his back, over the carapace that protected his spine. She can feel the bumps beneath her fingers, even through the thicker fabric of his formal shirt. Her hands traveled down till she reached the edge of the shirt. It had ridden up to reveal the skin of his waist. Her fingers caress the skin there in little circles. She somehow knows that this will bring a rumble of pleasure from his chest. 

He traces his hand down her side, to the bare skin of her thigh, exposed by the high slit in the skirt. He traces further down, catching her behind her knee, pulling up so her leg bends up around his waist. He settles so his hips rest in the cradle of hers. His lips move up to the spot behind her ear, nipping softly. Nova lets out a low moan. Slowly, he pulls away, gazing down at her. 

“Nova?” he asks her, even though he can feel her desire, her need for him. 

She gives a nod, and he bends to press a kiss to her lips once more. Then he is gone from her. Nova’s whimper of disappointment is cut short as she watches him whip the shirt off of his body. Then he peels the waist of his pants down till he stands naked before her. His body is so different from a human’s, yet the sight of it still causes heat to pool in her belly. Her eyes roam over his body, the sharpness of his collar bones, the muscles of his chest and abdomen, covered by green mottled skin. The narrowness of his waist, his muscular thighs. She doesn't have much time to consider him though for he reaches for her and pushes the thin straps of her dress off her shoulders. The fabric catches on her high firm breasts before she shrugs it the rest of the way off. Her dress pools at her waist. He grips her there, lifting her further up the bed then dragging the dress the rest of the way off. His gaze wanders over her body.

With anyone else Nova would be highly uncomfortable with the scrutiny. Her body is covered in scars, some still burning red with the cybernetics just under the skin. But with their exchange of memories and emotions he already knows their story, the pain behind every scar, just as she knew his every pain and scar.

She reaches up for him and he comes into her arms and he kisses her again as her fingers roam over his form. His body was familiar to her and new at the same time. It is like making love with a stranger and an old lover. His hands touch her, knowing just how to bring her pleasure. He rocks his hips against hers, his cock, free from its sheath, slides across her belly. She is slick with sweat already and when his fingers slip between her folds she is slick there as well, ready to receive him. 

He lifts his hips, posing himself at her entrance, her hands come down to grip his hips. They surge together and he enters her smoothly. She lets out a gasp. He fills her completely. She lifts her legs to wrap them around his waist, drawing him deeper into her.

“Javik!”

He rolls his hips, moving inside her as he bends to capture her cry of pleasure. He sets up a steady rhythm and his lips once again roam to her neck, to that spot where her neck meets her shoulder, that spot that makes her writhe in pleasure. Her hands stay on his hips, flexing and pulling him into her once more whenever he withdraws. He can feel her pleasure and knows she can feel his, together they push each other to heights neither would reach in any other circumstances. She climbs towards her peak and he works himself in her, pushing her and himself higher till finally they crash over the edge. She let sout a cry of pleasure as she clenches around him and he sinks his teeth into her shoulder, smothering his own cry. They come down together and they lay panting for a moment while she pulses around him. Eventually he withdraws from her, shifting so his full weight is not on top of her. His head remains nestled in the crook of her neck, his arms wrapped about her waist. Her arms are wrapped around his shoulders. Together their breathing slows and they drift into sleep. No words are said between them, they are not needed.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> uh... what the heck is even this chapter. after the citadel Javik and Shepard deal with the reapers.

Shepard comes awake with a start, her whole body tensing as she takes in her surroundings. Sometime during the night Javik had rolled off of her and lies on the other side of the bed, no longer touching her. So she feels some relief that he will not be privy to the tangle of emotions whirling within her. 

She scoots to the edge of her bed, swinging her legs to the floor. She tries to move so she doesn’t disturb Javik. Still, she hears him shift behind her. 

“I guess that there is one thing that primitives are good at.” his gravelly voice cuts through silence.

She tenses, she knows what this is, a way to put distance between them once again, to reestablish the norm. Still, she doesn't want to play that game. 

“Not another word.” comes her reply. 

She stands and crosses to the bathroom, the door slides shut behind her. 

Javik knows that his words have hurt her. He knows that as sure as he knows that she can't sense the regret he feels at inflicting the wound. The bond that was forged between them last night is one-way as long as he’s not touching her and god help him if he ever touched her again. 

He rises from the bed, gathering his clothes, intent on being gone before she emerges from the bathroom. No, he wouldn't touch her again. He would die on the battlefield in the fight with the reapers, finally joining in the fate his brethren had shared those many years ago. 

Shepard doesn't visit with Javik, one-on-one till they are on earth, standing among the rubble of London. Still, he had been by her side in the previous battle. She knows he wouldn't forgive her if she tried to exclude him. The need for vengeance he feels still burns through her blood. It eclipses any other feelings that linger concerning him. 

“Are you ready?” he asks

She gives a jerky nod, “Are you?”

“Do you even need to ask that question?”

She gazes up at him and they stay gazing at each other for a long moment. Then she smiles, briefly lighting up his world. 

“No, I suppose not.”

Her smile fades as she peers beyond him, to the beam of light that extends from the citadel to earth. 

“We were born for this, you and I.”

“Vengeance and retribution.”

Her gaze returns to him. 

“They are the same thing.” 

He fists his hands by his side, to keep himself from reaching for her. They are the same, him and her, two sides of the same coin. 

“You should go, I'm sure the others are waiting for your words of wisdom.”

She gives him another half smile and turns to leave. 

Pain rips through him as she pushes him onto the transport. 

“Go.”

“Nova.”

He grasps her hand and a flood of things he cannot say pours into her. She pulls her hand away from him, shaking her head. 

“No, go!” 

The transport begins to lift away but he doesn't struggle against the hand that restrains him from leaping back onto the battlefield. He doesn't like it, but he understands her reason. If she fails, they would need him. She is giving him one more chance at his vengeance. He watches her form run across the battlefield, till the transport turns, cutting off the view. 

Javik stands in relative safety watching large chunks of the citadel fall through the atmosphere, lit on fire. She had done it, she had brought the reapers retribution, granting him the vengeance he needed. Yet he is still alive, and without vengeance what is he. He had never thought to survive this long, he had thought to die in this war, thought he would never see the end. If he is not vengeance anymore what is he? 

In the days that follow the final battle they sort through the rubble, finding survivors, recovering the dead. Javik assists in the efforts where he can. He has found that vengeance has been replaced with hope. They hadn't found Nova yet, dead or alive. He finds the new emotion a startling thing as his heart searches for her. His other half. If he is hope, she is promise and he will find her. 

It is early on the fifth day of searching that the cry goes out. His head jerks up and he scrambles over rubble towards the ruckus. Peering down at her he can barely tell it is her, under the grime, bruises, and blood, Nova is unrecognizable. It’s only until he brushes a hand gently against her cheek that he knows, because under the overwhelming physical pain, he can feel her. 

“It's her. It’s Shepard.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> one of these days I will stop shifting tenses in the middle of a story so if you notice any weird tense changes it is because time means nothing to me.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shepard recovers from her injuries after the war under Javik's watchful eye.

It takes her two months to wake up. By that time the bruises have faded away and the lacerations have healed, well on their way to becoming new scars. The skin grafts that cover about a third of her body are beginning to fade from the angry red, starting to take on the cinnamon color of the rest of her skin. A soft fuzz of new hair is even beginning to form along her scalp. 

The light hurts as she begins to open her eyes but she forces them open, forces them to adjust. It is not the first time she has woken up after a long period of healing. She keeps her breathing even as she takes inventory of her surroundings then of herself. She notes the pain, as if she has been thrown to the earth from a great height. She tries to lift her arms. Her right arm is heavy, her left though… a frisson of panic courses through her. She tries to move her legs.

“Nova" 

A familiar voice cuts through her panic then a cool hand gently cups her cheek. She closes her eyes as memories enter her consciousness. Javik shows her a constructed series of events, blocking her from the mix of emotions that accompanies each memory. He shows her how she looked when they found her. Shows her how they had found her missing an arm, the cybernetics installed by Cerberus somehow keeping her from bleeding out. Shows her how her legs, crushed beyond saving had been removed from the knee down, sites prepared to accept eventual prosthetics. He shows her how they had cleaned the burnt flesh from her body, from her face and her scalp. How they had placed the skin grafts and knitted together her skin with numerous stitches. Then he shows her slow recovery, the passage of time. Then he removes his hand slowly. 

She opens her eyes again, gaze settling on his face. He stares down at her. She knows, if he could show her all of this, that he had been there for the entirety of the ordeal. She struggles to understand why though. The lack of emotion that accompanies the memories indicate a sense of detachment from the whole thing. From her. She studies his face, unable to read the expression on a face so alien from her own. A woosh signals an opening door and Javik withdraws from the bedside as a nurse bustles by soon joined by Dr. Chakwas who smiles down at her. 

“Welcome back, Shepard.”

The next 6 months are difficult. It seems to take a distressingly long time to regain her strength. It seems to take even longer to get used to the prosthetic limbs, the two titanium legs, and the robotic arm. The legs are basic, nothing too fancy. The arm is wired into the existing cybernetic network in her body, yet it still takes time for her to learn how to command it. The arm is cake compared to learning how to walk again though. She wants to scream in frustration, ready to run and finding she can barely crawl. 

Through it all, Javik is a constant, silent presence. He hasn’t touched her since she first awoke, hadn’t said more than a few words to her either. He never moves to help her with things, forcing her to learn how to fend for herself when she can. She can’t understand why he still remains. Still, no one questions his constant presence, even seemed to confer with him about decisions regarding her till she had protested.

After six months though she is being kicked out of the hospital. She is self sufficient to live outside of the hospital and they need the space for other, more severe cases. Her physical therapy will continue, just in the apartment they are moving her into. 

She struggles not to let panic overtake her as her eyes search the room for Javik, not finding him for the first time in months. She isn’t ready and if she is honest with herself, she is terrified of being alone. She pushes down the emotion and nods as Chakwas reads out her instructions. 

The apartment is neatly organized, clean, full of shining new surfaces. It doesn’t feel much like a home but then again, it won’t until Nova arrives. Javik moves about the space, moving the couch a bit to the left, placing a pillow on a chair. Then he shrugs and starts to pace, waiting for her to arrive. This past few hours has been the longest space of time he has let her out of his sight since they had found her. He doesn’t like the anxiety that courses through him at her absence. He would have never guessed he would become so weak of a creature. 

When he had formed that bond with her, was it a mere 8 months ago, it felt like eons ago, he had not expected to live much longer, had not expected to have to live for long with the consequences of his actions. The consequences of giving in to his desire and allowing himself to love her. 

Love had never been a part of the plan, not even with Nova. As an avatar of his people, he was something akin to nobility. If things had been carried out as planned an appropriate female would have been selected for him. Someone with superior genes so their offspring would strengthen the prothean race. It was not as if love never factored into prothean pairings, just not ever among protheans of his standing. He would have probably gone his entire life without sharing himself like he had done with Shepard, forming that unbreakable bond. If he had, it wouldn't likely be with a spouse, perhaps a trusted fellow soldier. That wasn't uncommon amongst soldiers, but his status would have likely prevented that. 

But he had seen Nova that night, he had wanted her, and instead of holding himself away from her he had taken her. Hadn't even told her the full impact of what would happen when he opened his whole existence to her, when he took on the whole of her existence. He hadn't even given her the choice to refuse him. Yet she hadn't rejected him, she had let him make love to her, had honored his need for vengeance even after he had hurt her. 

The door to apartment jingles, and it swings open to reveal Nova. She catches the door with a shoulder as she edges through the opening on the two arm crutches, avoiding putting too much weight on the prosthetics that had replaced her legs. She gets inside and let the door swing shut before allowing her gaze to wander around the apartment. The pursed lips indicate she is not exactly pleased with the place, but then her gaze lands on him. She doesn't say anything, but he can feel the tension in her frame melt away. Then she glances away and makes her way across the apartment to the hallway where the two bedrooms and large bathroom await her perusal. He resists the urge to follow her, allowing her to select a room on her own. Allowing her to drop off into sleep before he crosses to the room, peers in at her before leaving her to her rest. 

They fall into a routine, orbiting around each other, neither of them willing to break the silence between them. Nova slowly improves, aided by the twice a week therapy sessions. Now she is not surrounded by the constant stream of nurses and doctors she notices more of the small things Javik does for her. He rearranges the furniture until it is in a configuration that allows the most freedom of movement when she is using her crutches. He has rearranged the kitchen so things were neither too high for her to reach or too difficult for her to bend for. He has gotten them to replace the standard tub with a steam shower, complete with a bench to rest on. She wakes in the night to find a glass of water on the nightstand for her to drink, one she never places there herself. She is grateful for these little things. Still, she says nothing about them. Silence reigns between them.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Javik and Shepard finally reconnect

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sex ahead

A sharp yelp of pain, followed by a thud sends Javik rushing into her room. 

“Nova?”

He finds her struggling to push herself up, tears of frustration squeezing out from the corner of her eyes. Her prosthetic limbs lie twisted together. She glances up at him, then back down to try and deal with the problem, jaw clenched. He knows he shouldn't, knows she needs to know that she can do these things for herself, but her frustration tears at him and he is capable. He bends, rearranges her legs, then scoops her up into his arms. One hand automatically comes up to hold him behind the neck. He’s not prepared for the contact, not prepared to prevent a flood of memories and emotions that automatically want to be shared with his bond mate. 

He tenses, bracing for her rejection. It never comes, as the exchange comes to an end she relaxes into his hold, head resting on his shoulder. 

“I didn’t understand why you stayed.” she whispers. “I love you too.”

Javik takes the few steps to the bed and turns to sit, still holding her. When they are secure, he lifts his hand to cup her cheek. 

“I didn’t give you a choice.”

She laughs then, almost incredulous at the fact he didn't realize, with all that they shared between them.

“What choice, Javik, you were my only option. Don't you remember, when you woke up, when we first touched. I didn't understand it at first, but when you explained your ability, in those first few moments of your waking up we shared our first exchange. Why do you think I let you on my ship after that, why I didn't let the Alliance have custody of you. It's because I knew, deep down, even if I wouldn't admit it, that I belonged to you, and you belong to me. That you were the piece that I hadn't even realized that I was missing. I could no sooner reject you than I could reject my own existence.”

Javik bends to rest his forehead against hers. 

He whispers to her words that he knows her translator won't know but her heart will understand. How could it not? Her heart was his after all, as familiar to him as his own heart. Even in languages long lost to time she would understand what he has to say. 

“My heart, my love, my retribution, my promise-” 

She stops the stream of words as she presses her lips to his. He relaxes into her. His hands float down to the junction where her legs meet her prosthetics. He gently presses the button that releases the legs from the mountings and one by one they drop to the floor. With any other man, Nova would be mortified, unable to even consider herself attractive. But with Javik, she knows what he sees in her, that beauty he sees, despite the scars, the mottled skin from her burns, the missing limbs. 

He presses kisses down her neck, leaving marks with his teeth. One hand caresses the skin exposed at her waist, skimming upward under her shirt, cupping one breast, skimming a thumb across her nipple. She moans and wordlessly urges him on. He shifts, propels himself onto the bed, rearranges her so she is straddling his hips. From her new vantage she peers down at him. She grins then pulls off her shirt. He watches with heavy lidded eyes. She throws the shirt away and then moves to push the shirt he wears off his torso. He aids her when necessary. When they are both bare from the waist up he pulls her down for another kiss, relishing the feel of her skin against his as their lips lock together. They do this for a while till the wiggle of her hips indicates her impatience. He draws the little shorts she wears off, then, with some maneuvering he kicks off his own pants. 

Bracing herself with her arms she drags her slickness over his now exposed cock. He lets out a moan of appreciation bring his hands to her hips, helping to guide and support her as he slides into her warmth. The pace she sets is demanding but Javik doesn't mind, not after so many months of longing for this. She braces above him and he watches the expressions of pleasure play across her face as she takes him within her over and over again. He sucks a dark nipple in his mouth, worrying it gently with his teeth and she lets out a cry of pleasure then shudders around him. She collapses on top of him, lips hungrily seeking out his as she comes down from her orgasm. 

He isn't done yet though. As their tongues tangle together he braces her hips above him and thrusts upward. He is surprised initially to find that her pleasure builds once more but he’s soon to far lost in the sensation to ponder it further. His movements come faster, losing their rhythm and with a strangled groan he comes. The sensation of his ejaculate spilling inside her sends Nova over the edge once more. She comes again, crying out his name. 

He wraps his arms around her and she does the same as their breathing slows in symphony. He nips at her shoulder, leaving another mark, temporarily marking her as his. Temporarily, he would have to do something about that. 


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a grand event

Nova wakes with a start and panics for a moment till she can place what is wrong. Javik is gone from his usual place, curled around her as she sleeps, the smooth skin of his chest cradling her back. She takes a deep breath, reaching out with her mind to find him. They had been working on this over the last few weeks, after he discovered that the bond he had with her might not only be one way when they were not touching. She finds him in the kitchen, happy but nervous. The happy she understands because it is an emotion she shares with him. The nervousness makes her worry though. She sits up and swings her stumps to the side of the bed. Javik has leaned her prosthetics against the nightstand, within easy reach. She clicks them on and pushes to her feet. Taking a deep breath she starts her walk out to the kitchen, without the arm crutches, like she had been doing this past week or so. 

When she reaches the kitchen she finds Javik making pancakes. He had been teaching himself to cook these last few weeks but the only thing he had mastered so far was pancakes. Nova loves pancakes. 

She slides onto a bar stool and watches Javik pour batter into the skillet, his face stern concentration. He gracefully flips the pancake when it is ready, then scrapes it off the skillet onto a stack of already done pancakes. He spreads a thick layer of butter onto the top cake then pours a generous portion of warm maple syrup over the whole mess. He turns to her then, placing the plate in front of her. 

“It’s too much, how do you expect me to eat all this?” 

He joins her on her side of the counter, reaching for her, tangling one hand in her short curls and pressing a kiss to the side of her head. 

“I expect you to share.”

He sits on the other bar stool, pulling it closer to her. She smiles and cuts a large bite out of the stack, stuffing her mouth full. He takes a more moderate bite out the stack, and chews politely, one hand remains on the back of her chair, rubbing soft circles. Perhaps that's why she could feel the rising tide of nerves within him. She swallows her latest bite and waits for him to finish his, reaching out to stop him from taking another bite. 

“Javik, what is the matter, why are you nervous?”

He chuckles and reaches for her hand. 

“I’ve been reading about earth customs. About how couples indicate their dedication to each other. I know it is old fashioned, even, but will you marry me Nova?”

A beatific smile lights up her face. “Yes, of course I will.” 

Their wedding turns into a big affair. They hold it on the citadel which has been largely rebuilt after the final battle. They won't return to their apartment on earth after the ceremony. They have offered her the position of human councilor and Nova accepted after insisting the unrepresented species be given a seat as well. They had all done their part in saving the galaxy, they deserved to be heard. They had prepared the apartment Anderson had left for her, and that would be their new home. 

Javik is happy enough with this outcome. They had offered him one position or another but he had turned them down, content to be Nova’s consort in all things. 

The day of the ceremony the citadel buzzes with excitement. Javik has to concentrate on not pacing as he waits impatiently at the altar. He hasn’t seen her since sometime yesterday, another earth tradition and though it hadn't been a terribly long time, he misses her. Garrus and Wrex stood beside him, making jokes at his expense. He ignores them. The music starts up and he freezes, because there she is, starting down the long aisle towards him. She has eschewed the traditional white dress, opting instead for a gown of rich reds and golds. It fits her form perfectly, stopping mid thigh to prevent her from getting her prosthetics tangled up in the skirt. A long golden cape draped from her shoulders and trailed along the floor, on her head she wears a gilded crown, dotted with dark rubies. She looks magnificent. She is nearly to him when he can’t wait any longer, he strides the last three steps that stand between them and laces his fingers with hers. She grins up at him. The rest of the ceremony is a blur for him. He can only remember her smile, the way the gold glints when he slides the ring onto her finger, telling the galaxy she is his and the way she feels when he sweeps her up in his arms and kisses her for all to see.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A happy ending.

It has been a long day of council business and Nova is glad to be home, sprawled out on the couch, her head cradled in Javik’s lap. She absentmindedly rubs her stomach. She has been nauseous for the last few weeks and has yet to determine the cause of it. Javik’s hand smooths down her side and comes to rest over the top of her hand that lies on top of her stomach. Then he freezes, his eyes blinking as he tries to comprehend what he is feeling. It shouldn't be possible, they are not the same species after all. Then again, it shouldn't be possible for her to experience the exchange of memories and emotions that they share. 

“Nova, I think it would be wise to see Dr. Chakwas tomorrow, about your nausea.”

She nods, “Alright, if you think so.”

Chakwas confirms Javik’s suspicion. He guards his response, waiting to see how Nova takes the news. She is confused at first. “But how, we’re not the same species.” 

Chakwas shrugs. “To be honest, Shepard, I don't know. You haven't exactly been typical since you touched the beacon, and certainly not after whatever Cerberus did to you. Plus there is Javik to consider, I have know idea how prothean DNA may interact with human DNA.”

Javik feels fear thread through Nova. 

“Will it even be viable?” she half whispers the question. 

“I do not know. Right now it is alive, it is growing, like a typical embryo. We will have to wait and see how it develops. If that is what you want to do.”

Nova’s gaze swivels to Javik and she reaches out for him. He extends his hand and allows her to take it. Allows her to feel the tangle of emotions, the fear, the hope. She releases his hand, a decision made. 

“We better wait and see.”

The pregnancy is not an easy one, it is filled with anxiety and hope. Chakwas keeps a constant eye on her but really, no one knows the outcome, or what will be normal. The minute that she feels the baby move in her belly though, she knows her heart will break if she doesn't get to meet the little being inside her. She knows, to some extent, that Javik is feeling something similar, though he keeps his emotions in check, trying not to overwhelm her in her condition. 

Dr. Chakwas is reluctant to induce labor, unsure if human prothean hybrid would develop in the typical 10 months. This happens to be the right choice. Nova goes into labor after 12 months and after 4 hours of contractions she gives birth to a healthy son. Still, it takes two years of watching her son grow and develop, a strange mix of prothean and human features, that her anxiety about him being healthy begins to fade. She turns to him one night, after the had coaxed David Malik to sleep. 

“I suppose we will be better at this by the time the next one comes along.”

“Next one? Who says there is going to be a next one?” 

Nova chuckles. 

There is a next one, a daughter named Kriona, and two more after that, twins named Lani and Parvus. After four he insists on not allowing her to put her body through anymore stress. She laughs at him, pregnancy was considerably easier than dying and being resurrected. Still four is plenty and she is pleased with her family of healthy loud children and their stern affectionate father. 

She couldn't imagine a more perfect retribution. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like babies, sorry.


End file.
